Act III: Coalescence

[Gimble]

"I can provide the horse, if you're willing to ride a conjured one."

"If we all agree, then we can be on our way."

Gortig speaks the magic incantation to cast the Mount spell three times, using up his pearl for the day in the process, summoning three light horses with appropriate riding equipment.

"And so we ride again, Rook! Back to the deserts of Mashara. We should check in with Jelani first. I believe that's in line with your assignment, Nirili?"

OOC:
The horses will last 10 hours each (or until killed, if it comes to that).

If we want to seek out Jelani, what would be the appropriate destination for now?

[Cmdr Maxwell]

"Oh Holy Justitia...grant me strength and fortitude fer this action..." Dethmir quietly mutters to himself as he approaches the mount. Stowing his gear accordingly and checking everything is secured, he attempts to climb onto the quiet beast and break off into a canter if there's nothing else.

Ride check:

[5] = 5
1d20:  [

] = 5

It goes slightly better than expected. Dethmir just manages to avoid eating dirt within the first minute.

Circling back, he'll come to stop with a relieved expression, turned confusion. "Which way are we goin'? Ah'd better not lead, fer ah'll get us all turned round tighter than a Gord Knot."

[Grodech]

"The manner of horse makes no difference to me." Nirili responds. "Honestly, the conjured one will save me money, and we won't have to feed or water it."

To the question of checking in with Jelani, she responds "Yes. I'm assuming the rest of those in the company are with him. If not, he should know where they are."

Nirili will pack her things on the horse accordingly, and climb up. She will wait for Gortig to lead the way. She had noticed the monkey immediately, but no introductions had been made. Now she had a name...Rook.

[Charon]

The horses will cut the travel time to three days, provided no detours. The logical place to make for is Qasr Al-Hawa, the closest of Jelani's three oases. Not only was it where you set off from, but it was where you saw Jelani last.

The cold wind is a pleasure, for a while, but as the grassland gives way to a semi-arid steppe, the heat rises and the wind falls. For Gortig and Dethmir, this aridity is no stranger, though for Dethmir perhaps a lapsed friendship. For Nirili this experience is likely new. Hot, but not sweaty, the dryness pervades and it's not long until the drow finds her eyes and nostrils itching. Under Gortig's guidance, you take frequent sips from your water flask, just enough to moisten the lips and occasionally flush the gullet. The dryness stirs a restlessness within you. Sitting on the back of the horse, plodding on at a steady brisk walk that a nonmagical horse might struggle more with. No exhaustion to worry about, no fear of it breaking a leg in the shifting desert sands.

The timing of departure works out nicely and by the time the steppe gives way to the desert proper, the sun is no longer hanging as high in the sky. Gortig explains the plan. You ride through the night, and walk into the early morning. A couple of hours before noon, you seek shelter, or make your own, and sleep the peak of the day. The following evening you can set off again.

I'll need to know two things.
Firstly, do you intend to have a light source during the night, and if so, what are the details of that light source? If you intend not, I think I'm right in saying everyone but Nirili has darkvision?
Secondly, once I have that info, I will require a survival check from Gortig for navigation. You can have a +2 synergy bonus if you have 5 ranks or more in Knowledge Local, Knowledge Nature or Knowledge Geography (only one instance applies).
Dethmir, as a native you may make your own roll with the same caveat, or roll an assist. You must decide before you roll.
Thirdly, Perception checks all round.

[Cmdr Maxwell]

Dethmir has darkvision. He has three sources of light: an Ioun Torch (floats freely over head with the continual flame effect with 20ft radius of normal light and dim light 20 feet beyond that), the Light spell and the campfire bead (same light radius as Ioun torch).

I'll roll to assist:

[4] = 4
1d20:  [

] = 4

Perception check:

[3]+4 = 7
1d20+4:  [

] +4 = 7

Dethmir needs 2 hours of sleep then he can maintain watch. For funsies, he'll show off a neat little trick his Brotherhood partner taught him for the evening refreshments: he'll cast Create Water then Enhance Water to treat everyone to a pint of an ale, beer, mead, or wine (mead for him).

[Grodech]

Nirili does have darkvision to 60 ft.

Perception:

[10]+16 = 26
1d20+16:  [

] +16 = 26

(note, subtract 1 from this if the sun is out due to her light blindness)
Survival, if it helps:

[14]+11 = 25
1d20+11:  [

] +11 = 25

The pair may (or may not) notice when camped that Nirili leaves no tracks in the sand.

[Gimble]

Gortig has Darkvision 60, too.

As for camping, Gortig will set up a tent if there is no natural shelter and the terrain permits it. The campfire bead Dethmir brought is much appreciated. Gortig requires full sleep; he doesn't have a ring of sustenance. Rook will sleep a bit during the horse ride. There's a tailor made pouch in Gortig's pack that lets the little monkey tuck in snugly.

During the first day of the journey, Gortig doesn't want to pry into Nirili's past, but he's definitely up for conversation if she is. As for Dethmir, they'll have plenty of stories to share. All in all, Gortig is glad to have traveling companions on the journey back, and so is Rook.

Rook will spend some time on the other horses, if the riders allow it. When they get tired of him, he'll scamper back to Gortig to sleep some more in the pack.

[Charon]

Rolls noted.

The group rolls on. This section of desert is the bland, featureless outskirts, little more than a series of slowly rising dunes; each one you crest revealing yet another gently sloping expanse of sand. As the sun drops ever lower over the horizon, the wind finally starts to drop off. Without the fine grains of sand constantly whipping about your face, it is safe to finally open one's mouth, to converse, and Gortig, for one, has been itching to do so...

[Cmdr Maxwell]

Dethmir pulls up alongside, and holds out his arm for Rook to use as a swinging perch onto Gortig's arm.

"Ya can have yer monkey back, Witch. Think he's had enough of mah mutterin'."

[Gimble]

"You've got to admire Rook's endurance in that regard." Gortig chuckles.

Assuming we're riding, Gortig steers his horse closer to Nirili's. Otherwise, he'll sit with her at camp. "If I may?"

"Have you ventured into the desert before? The oasis we're heading to, Qasr Al-Hawa, I've lived there half a dozen years. But I haven't done much traveling during that time. There's a grotto there I call home. People came to me for healing and cures. The place allowed me to put my past behind me, and the grotto was a place for me to mend the scars on my soul. The desert is good at taking in those who wish to forget or be forgotten." He takes a sip from his waterskin. "You're a captain in your company? Been with them long?"

[Grodech]

"I have never been to the desert before." Nirili says. She looks around. "The constant light hurts my eyes. I'm a corporal, not a captain. I've been with them about 8 years. Long enough to have established myself above the majority of the fighters. Privates, they are called. But most women don't get into positions of real authority, from what I've seen. Most men don't want to take orders from a female. A captain would out-rank me."

[Charon]

(Still riding for now, just to clarify)

[Gimble]

Gortig takes a moment to mull over what Nirili said.

"This... hierarchy within your organization, it reminds me of my old clan. The ranks were different, of course. We had a chieftain, a first hunter, and a shaman. They had authority over different aspects of the clan. One thing was always clear, though: they could be challenged for their position. Right is claimed with might, and killing is the way to climb the ladder. Eventually, the young replace the old, the strong replace the weak. Dominance is key. This was life with my clan under the Ash Mouths."

"In the desert, it is different. Wisdom, experience, and knowledge of the hidden desert paths and water sources mean survival. Stewardship over dominance, for otherwise the sands claim their due. Within the tribes, there is more of a sense of kinship than rivalry. Challenging leadership is done as a collective, rarely by the individual."

"This should shed some light on the nature of Prince Jelani's rule, as the Kufeshi follow his passion and wisdom."

There is a short silence.

"I'm not sure of the point I wanted to make, if any. In any case, thank you for sharing a bit about your organization. I have a suspicion we'll be traveling together a little while longer after reaching Jelani."

[Grodech]

"The IB is very similar to what you normally see within human military organizations. Rankings are earned by deeds and accomplishments." Nirili replies "Tribes and Clans are more social organizations than military, so you see more differences from one to another. Based more on the civilization and its traditions and customs. At least, that's my observation. The IB has many people from different races, civilizations, and backgrounds."

"I've been given very little about what's going on with Prince Jelani." she adds after Gortig's last comment. "Only that I'm to take over leadership of the IB unit out there and we're to help deal with Prince Jelani's issue. What can you tell me about that?"

[Gimble]

"There is trouble brewing near the Salt Flats. I imagine your company will have work assigned related to that, and it wouldn't surprise me if Dethmir and I are involved."

"As for the nature of the trouble, there are afflicted people rising from the Salt Flats. The source of their condition is unknown, but they show great aggression. It is an issue that requires further investigation before it becomes a problem for the region and possibly beyond."

"My hope is that when we arrive at Qasr Al-Hawa, Prince Jelani will have more information for us."

[Cmdr Maxwell]

Ride:

[11] = 11
1d20:  [

] = 11

Dethmir is fine. Carry on...

[Grodech]

"What is the nature of the affliction?" Nirili asks.

[Gimble]

"They're scabbed over with glass. At least one of the tribe's graves was unearthed with the bodies gone after an attack by these afflicted. I suspect they're some sort of undead, but not of a kind I've ever read about."

[Grodech]

"Interesting." Nirili replies. She wonders what kind of process is required to have someone scabbed over with glass... "I hope you are right and they will have more information by the time we've arrived."

[Gimble]

"Indeed."

Gortig turns to Dethmir. "Are you alright on that horse?"

[Cmdr Maxwell]

He's been silent (aside from a few grunts and groans), trying to catch snippets of the conversation.

"Ah'm...fine, Witch...ooft," Dethmir grunts in consternation when the horse jolts forward after going over a dune. Coming to a more stable level, he glances over. "Dwarves are meant ter have both feet on the ground."

Looking over to Nirili on the other side of Gortig."Ah reckon yer IB is sommat like mah Clan, structure an' all. Upper ranks are inherited, mind ya. Anyhow, ah worked wi' some of yer colleagues some months ago. Guard duty on a convoy. They were alright in action. Better than those from Brotherhood, if ya know 'em. Nowt but meatsacks of flaming arseholes, they were." He spits a glob on the ground.

[Grodech]

"I've never worked with them." Nirili replies. "I've been with the IB since I was a teenager. They took me in, trained me. They've been good to me. Leadership seems to have a good sense of fairness."

[Charon]

The sun dips down below the horizon, giving Nirili's eyes a welcome break. The wind drops off, leaving the air still. The temperature drops as the horses continue plodding on and Gortig recommends you add a layer or two. This time of year, the temperature won't drop too low over night, but it's gonna get down to around 8 degrees (around 40f for those across the pond). You'll certainly feel the chill and these horses don't give off the same kind of heat a real mount would.
The difference is stark, even as the temperature falls and your hands feel the chill, you're still hot beneath your clothing, though eventually that heat wicks away. This is the best time to travel, Gortig informs you. It'll get hot when the sun rises, and you'll break for camp at dawn. The noonday sun will be unbearable, so best to sleep it through. Putting shade over the cool sand will help, giving you a place to lay without cooking yourself alive. But that's still a few hours away.

An hour later, the moon rises sleepily on the horizon, bathing the desert in a pale blue light that lends the sand an almost lilac hue. No threats so far. You've seen little in the way of wildlife, though Gortig assures you snakes and scorpions burrow the sands and deeper in, bigger and more fearsome beasties. He does however stress to keep your eyes peeled. It's not only weary travellers that travel at night...

[Cmdr Maxwell]

I don't think you could have made it any blunter that you are wanting a perception check...

Here ya go:

[10]+4 = 14
1d20+4:  [

] +4 = 14

[Grodech]

Nirili does as suggested and layers up. She wasn't expecting the desert to get cold.



Agreed - it sounded like Charon's next post would be to ask for a perception check